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Who is Emery Staines?
Emery Staines is from England. He’s sailed over to New Zealand and made a couple of stops along the way. So, by the time he gets to New Zealand he’s somewhat of an adventurer. Claire McCarthy, our director, described him to me as having a poet's soul, which is something I’ve taken and carried with me.

When do we first meet Emery? And how does Anna Wetherell tie into his story?
We meet Emery as he arrives in New Zealand. He’s on the boat coming into the port when he meets Anna Wetherell. Something happens between them and he recognises something - they recognise something in each other. They arrange to meet but circumstances get in the way and they don’t find each other for a long time. Emery is looking for Anna but a number of things happen along the way that force him in one direction and then another. Eventually, when he does find her again, so much has changed.

In the terms of that relationship with Emery and Carver, how do they spark off each other?
With Emery and Carver I think that there is a genuine connection. Marton (Csokas) and I talked about that. Carver is using him for his own needs, yes, but, in doing so there is actually some sort of connection between them. Carver and Emery genuinely get on. There's a lot more in Eleanor’s writing of Carver, and Marton has brought that to life.

So with Emery and Carver, they recognise something in each other in the same way that Anna and Emery recognise something (although in a completely different way.) There is a similarity between the two of them but they've just gone in different directions. Carver sets Emery on his way, without maybe even realising it, and drives him towards his fate in a positive way. Again, it’s very interesting when you start realising the way Eleanor (Catton) has orchestrated everything. It’s all about how one thing passes up on to another.